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Monday, November 18, 2013

Atheists Become Active--Tis The Season

The American Humanist Association is threatening to litigate two public schools for assisting in spreading a little Christmas joy.

The targeted schools are in South Carolina and Colorado.

Why?

Because the schools are, and have been for several years, participating in Operation Christmas Child, which delivers millions of shoe boxes filled with personal gifts and toys to children in developing countries.

For the same reason they are trying to force the cross formed from World Trade Centers molten steel from being on public display at Ground Zero.

Because Graham's organization includes a little note with the gifts to the impoverished children that says "Jesus loves you," the atheists are threatening to sue the schools that are reaching out to these kids with Christmas gifts.

Schools in both South Carolina and Colorado have been contacted by the atheists and threatened.

In a letter to East Point Academy in West Columbia, S.C., the atheist organization accuses the school of promoting Christianity.

The letter says, "Because the purpose and effect of Operation Christian Child is to induce impoverished children to convert to Christianity, the school's promotion of this program violates the Constitution. The school must immediately suspend its unconstitutional participation in Operation Christmas Child."

The letter also says, "The boxes of toys are essentially a bribe, expressly used to pressure desperately poor children living in developing countries to convert to Christianity, and are delivered with prayers, sermons, evangelical tracts and pressure to convert. While a private religious group, even through questionable means, a public school cannot affiliate itself with, endorse, promote or support such a group's program without violating the Establishment Clause."

Is there irony in the fact that the atheists are claiming that Graham's organization is "pressuring" and "bribing" the "poor" while they, to facilitate their own religious beliefs in "non belief," are "pressuring" and "threatening" the school district?

Atheism is, itself, a religion of sorts. Atheist churches are being formed in Europe, Australia and now in America.

The Associated Press published an article a few days ago titled, "Atheist 'Mega-Churches' Take Root Across US, World."

AP says, "It looked like a typical Sunday morning at any mega-church. Several hundred people, including families with small children, packed in for more than an hour of rousing music, an inspirational talk and some quiet reflection. The only thing missing was God."

AP also reported, "On Sunday, the inaugural Sunday Assembly in Los Angeles, attracted several hundred people bound by their belief in non-belief. Similar gatherings in San Diego, Nashville, New York and other U.S. cities have drawn hundreds of atheists seeking the camaraderie of a congregation without religion or ritual."

One self described atheist told AP, "There's something not OK with appropriating all the religious language, imagery and ritual for atheism."

While the founders of this new movement denies it is "religious," their actions seem to betray the claim.

Here's how the Associated Press described their "service":

During the service, attendees stomped their feet, clapped their hands and cheered as Jones and Evans led the group through rousing renditions of "Lean on Me," "Here Comes the Sun" and other hits that took the place of gospel songs. Congregants dissolved into laughter at a get-to-know-you game that involved clapping and slapping the hands of the person next to them and applauded as members of the audience spoke about community service projects they had started in LA.

At the end, volunteers passed cardboard boxes for donations as attendees mingled over coffee and pastries and children played on the floor.

While seeking to suppress the Christian expression and mocking the notion of sharing the gospel with those in need, atheists are launching their own version of religion---singing, clapping and taking a collection.

The Sunday Assembly motto is "Live Better, Help Often, Wonder More."

So how should the school respond to the atheist threat?

The school has responded.

In their letter to the parents the school says, "In an abundance of caution because we do not want to spend school financial resources defending a lawsuit, we are not going to help prepare Operation Christmas Child boxes."

Is the school surrendering to financial threat to promote one religion over another? Is the school "establishing one religious belief in preference to another?"

9 comments:

So, Gary, would you be ok if a bunch of atheists used a public school to organize a gift drive for impoverished kids and then made those kids sit through lectures that there is no God and discouraged them from Christianity before giving them the box? I don't think you'd think that was such a good idea.

Yet, that's exactly what those conniving evangelicals were up to. They'd deliver the presents with "prayers, sermons, evangelical tracts and pressure to convert to christianity".

If you really just want to give presents to impoverished kids, fine, do it with no strings or ulterior motive. But, if your real goal is to use it as a method of evangelizing and conversion to christianity, do it at a private school or church, not a public school. The school made the right choice.

If Athiests believe that there is no God, why would they be afraid of Christians. Let the Christians evangalize as much as they can. It should do no harm. These Christians believe in a God who does not exist. BUT if God is real and He exists, which He does, then no matter how much the Athiests scream, shout, and intimidate those who don't believe the way they do, they will come to nothing since they have no future and no hope.

Your question is evidence of one result of religion that we're trying to prevent - poor critical thinking skills. Organized religion can do lots of harm and history is full of examples of wars, persecution, opposition to science, opposition to civil rights, etc.

Spreading the good news of eternity with Christ isn't like twisting people's arms or tricking them into joining armed forces for war like some recruiters will do (even though unfortunately some "christians" present it like that). I'm sorry that your view on Samaritans Purse and their goals seem hostile to you. I can assure you its not forcing anyone into anything they don't want. Be sure to always investigate before condemning anything.

Poor critical thinking skills? The Bible is THE most thoroughly documented book of antiquity, bar none. Nothing else even comes close.

The evidence for God is as plain as the nose on your face. I'm a sceptic at heart, no one's gonna just feed me a line and I'm gonna go for it. No sir, I spent hours, months researching the claims of the Bible, guess what? The archeological, scientific and historical evidence confirm the biblical accounts.

Belief in Jesus Christ need not be a blind leap. There are thousands of biblical manuscripts in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek and they agree on 99.9% of the text.

Like I said, nothing else comes even remotely close. Every atheist who has sought to prove the Bible is false has failed and many have become Christians. Why is that..........? Because God's word is powerful, it speaks to the heart.

Atheism is a blind leap into the dark, may you find the light of Christ before its too late.

I'M CERTAIN THAT OVER THE PAST 50 YEARS AS GOD HAS BEEN TAKEN OUT OF SCHOOLS, PRAYER OUTLAWED, ABORTION SANCTIONED THAT WE HAVE GROWN MORE ATHEISTS THAN AT ANY OTHER TIME IN OUR HISTORY, AND WITH MORE LIBERAL COURTS AND JUDGES THE THREATS OF ATHEISTS HAVE BECOME MORE INTIMIDATING, BUT NOTHING ELSE HAS CHANGED. THE FOUNDING OF OUR NATION WAS AS THE RESULT OF PEOPLE WHO WERE OPPRESSED AND WANTED THE FREEDOM FOR THEMSELVES AND OTHERS TO WORSHIP GOD. THAT IS THE FREEDOM TO WORSHIP GOD NOT THE FREEDOM NOT TO WORSHIP, WHICH GOES WITHOUT SAYING. IT WOULD BE GOOD AND RIGHT FOR THESE SO CALL GOD HATING ATHEISTS TO MIND THEIR OWN BUSINESS AND LEAVE OTHERS TO DO THE SAME.